Zimbabwe’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Nick Mangwana has raised nationwide despondency in the country after disclosing that neighbours South Africa have dumped into Zimbabwe a huge number of hardened ex convicts released from prisons in that country.

Zimbabweans have generally expressed unhappiness with South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi’s decision to repatriate the large group of detainees from the Lindela centre this week after Mangwana’s revelation.

Motsoaledi ordered the repatriations in response to an escape at the facility earlier this month.

Mangwana revealed the news to the nation that many of the returnees from South Africa are ex-convicts.

“These are mainly former prisoners; some have different histories from murder, robbery, fraud, housebreaking and documentation problems.”

Reports indicate that the offenders have been given a five-year ban on travel to South Africa.

There are fears that crime in Zimbabwe will spike if South Africa continues wholesale deportations.

Mangwana claims that 129 of the 527 repatriates who arrived on Saturday 9 May were ex-convicts.

Mangwana said that alongside the screening the repatriates would undergo there would be a vetting process to ensure that deported ex-convicts were not wanted for crimes in Zimbabwe.